Can you name the singing task precisely enough to work on it?
Singing and the Actor, by Gillyanne Kayes.
What the book addresses
Kayes addresses singing technique for actors, including the coordination of different vocal qualities and their application to performance. The second edition includes work on sounds such as twang and belting.
How to read it
Distinguish a desired sound, the coordination used to make it and the dramatic purpose of the phrase. A description on the page cannot hear you or determine whether you are applying it comfortably. Follow the complete instructions and work with appropriate teaching support when investigating unfamiliar or demanding sounds.
An original rehearsal investigation
Take a phrase already within your comfortable practice. Name the character's immediate need and the musical demand separately. Rehearse each clearly, then bring them together. Notice whether greater dramatic urgency changes diction, breath timing or your willingness to listen. Do not use urgency as an instruction to push volume or extend range.
Connections and distinctions
This book contributes a more specifically technical singing perspective to a library that also includes Roy Hart exploration and spoken-voice traditions. The comparison is useful because expressive freedom and musical coordination can ask different questions.
This is an original JBAS reading guide with an attributed overview and study questions. Read the complete book for the author's developed argument and exercise instructions.
